How to Navigate the South Beach Wine & Food Festival

Heading to this year's South Beach Wine & Food Festival? We hope so! The event will be packed with tons of tasty morsels and famous celebrity chefs like Paula Deen, Guy Fieri, and Tom Colicchio. Read our tips and tricks to navigate this massive, food-filled extravaganza!

On February 24th a flood of foodies will descend on Miami for the 2010 South Beach Wine & Food Festival. In attendance, mega chefs Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri, Paula Deen, Sandra Lee, Katie Lee, Masaharu Morimoto, Eric Ripert, Michelle Bernstein, Rocco DiSpirito...the list goes on and on and on. Lucky for us, we're heading down to the Sunshine State for our celebrity-chef fix. Last year was our first time and, frankly, we had a little trouble navigating the festivities. Now that we're old hands, we figure we'd pass on a little advice for the newbies on how to approach this mouthwatering food-a-palooza.

If you haven't already bought your tickets, then you better get on that right away. Most-wanted events like Rachael Ray's big beef patty showdown, a.k.a. the Amstel Light Burger Bash, and Wine Spectator's upscale tasting, the Best of the Best, are already sold out. That doesn't mean you can't work your way in there. Come 'on now! Ever hear of a little thing called Craigslist? Well, as the festival is the Super Bowl of food, you may find a few of these sought-after tickets floating around. Remember: You did not hear this from us. For the more conservative shoppers, there are still several tickets available that can be bought directly from the event's official Website. As of press time, tickets for Kevin Zraly's hourlong Italian wine seminar and the all-day feeding frenzy known as the Whole Foods Market Grand Village Tasting are still on sale.

The majority of the festival venues are centered right on Miami's famous South Beach. The main event  the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village  is housed in white circus tents that stretch across the sand for blocks. The best places to stay are those within easy walking distance of the tent entrance (13th Street and Ocean Drive) and the other venues scattered around South Beach: the Ritz-Carlton South Beach, the Hilton Bentley Beach, the Betsy Hotel, the Delano  all of which are hosting events throughout the weekend. Of course many of these top hotels, like the newly minted W South Beach, the Raleigh, and the Fontainebleau, are already at (or near) capacity. A search on Bing Travel resulted in several economical options, however. And even if you can't book a room at one of the swanky hotels on the beach, a visit to the lobby will still bear fruit. (Last year, we spotted Emeril at the Loews).

Now that you've got your tickets and hotel room, you need start making friends. Food is the perfect conversation starter! But this genial act is also a strategic one. Reason being? You can score tips, tricks, and access to private parties. We missed a few because we pretty much had our nose in our plates the whole time, but this year we plan to be sniffing out the action.

If you're still hungry, Miami is a spectacular town to wine and dine. A few of our favorites include Laurent Tourendel's BLT Steak, the ever-popular Mr. Chow, and local star chef and Top Chef guest judge Michelle Bernstein's Michy's and Sra. Martinez. Bonus: Miami is a party town, so the restaurants stay open late.

Other tips:

Get there early: Beat the crowds if you can and arrive on time. If not, you may be elbowing your way to the food.

Have a game plan: The average wait time to get a taste of the chef competitors' fare at the Burger Bash was about 5-20 minutes. Approach it like Disney World. You may have to skip Space Mountain and instead ride It's a Small World a few times before the line lets up.

Divide and conquer: If you've got some friends (hopefully you've made some by now!) divide and conquer. Grab a few samples, then pick a meeting spot to wolf those juicy morsels down. Time is valuable, people!

Stay hydrated: Think of this as the Olympics of food, and you as a competitive eater. You'll need to stay hydrated, so look for the water sponsors passing out chilled bottles in the tent. (Drinking water is also essential since you'll be washing down those bites with plenty of vino!)

Eat breakfast: Yes, there will be a lot of food to tackle each day (and night), but get that metabolism pumping by starting the day with a healthy breakfast. Morning in South Beach is great for people watching. News Café, Big Pink, and The Café at Books and Books on the pedestrian-friendly Lincoln Road are great places to check out.

Get some rest: All that eating and running around last year put us in a food coma. A little afternoon catnap overlooking the beautiful blue Atlantic is essential to maintaining stamina!

Don't be shy: All the star chefs will be on hand roaming the beach, cooking up their best recipes, signing cookbooks, and throwing back a few. Don't get tongue-tied (or chew with your mouth open) when you spot one. They are there for the fans and hey, they are real people. So step right up and tell Paula Deen just how much you'd like to marry her son Bobby. (Did we just say that?)

Are you pumped? Ready to eat your way into oblivion? We are! Say "hi" if you do make it down, but if not there's always next year's blowout, when the South Beach Wine & Food Festival will celebrate its 10-year anniversary. We can't wait!